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Why Tignanello 2018 is ‘one of the greatest ever’
Following a vertical tasting of Super Tuscan Tignanello back to 1983, db’s Italian wine correspondent Filippo Bartolotta explains why the current 2018 release is “one of the greatest ever”.
Having awarded the expression a maximum score of 100 points, making it the only wine in the line-up that he awarded this perfect result, he told db that the 2018 vintage had “everything a fine contemporary red should have”.
Having explained that the 2018 had reached a pinnacle after years of fine-tuning Tignanello by head winemaker Renzo Cotarella, he said that the expression was “just delicious” now, but with a long future ahead of it, comparing it to Michelangelo’s Prigioni, featuring the ‘Awakening Slave’.
“Super Tuscans have been accused of being over-extracted, boring and commercial, but Tig started to become lighter and more refreshing from the 2004 vintage; everything has been toned down,” he began.
That doesn’t mean it has turned away from its “super power”, which Bartolotta said comes from the 20% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, which brings ripe black fruit and, importantly, “no trace of pyrazines” – compounds in unripe grapes that can impart green, bell pepper-like characters.
This is complemented by the “refreshing factor” of the Sangiovese, which makes up the majority of the blend – there is a small percentage of Cabernet Franc too – with the native Tuscan grape also bringing flavours of “leather and forest floor, violets and liquorice,” according to Bartolotta.
He also said that it has a “wonderful balance between power and elegance, and while it shows a bit of oak now, it is digesting it quickly.”
Continuing, he described the wine as being “so satisfying”, adding, “it is one of the best Tigs ever made”.
Suggesting that the wine would benefit from opening well ahead of consumption, should it be drunk at this youthful stage in its life, he said, “If you plan to drink it in the evening, crack it open in the morning, and that way it will taste way more expensive than its €100 [retail price].”
Looking back over the vertical tasting, which you can read more about here, he said that he also “loved the 2004 very much”, giving it 98 points – a score also awarded to the 2016 vintage.
In general, he said that “Tig shows its best when Sangiovese has a voice that is not overtaken by the Cabernet and the oak, and, like in 2004, when the wine shows red fruit, not just black fruit: that’s when the Sangiovese sings, and you want it to sing.”
He also recorded how Cotarella has reduced the oak influence in Tignanello by seasoning the staves used for the barriques for a longer period, as well as decreasing the toasting level, which can bring charred wood flavours to the wine.
Noting that Tignanello is made in large quantities by fine wine standards [on average around 20-30,000 cases], he said that this was important in preventing the price of this Super Tuscan from “going crazy”.
“For €100, you can have a bottle with an amazing story and pedigree,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, also commenting on the Super Tuscan’s combination of quality and scale, Antonio Galloni noted in his review of the 2018 vintage, “Tignanello, in my view, is the single greatest high quality, estate wine made in scale.”
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